Toni strikes twice as Italy beat Scotland 2-0

BARI, Italy, Mar 29 (Reuters) Striker Luca Toni put Italy's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign back on track when he scored twice to give the world champions a 2-0 win over Scotland in Bari.

The Fiorentina player capitalised on a lively opening by the Azzurri, heading them ahead from a Massimo Oddo cross in the 12th minute yesterday.

He struck again midway through the second half, when he outjumped his marker to nod in Mauro Camoranesi's cross at the far post.

The win left Italy fourth in Group B with 10 points from five matches, two points behind France, Ukraine and Scotland, though the Scots have played an extra game.

Italy have now beaten Scotland in all six matches they have played against them in Italy since 1931.

The cancellation of last month's friendly with Romania in the turmoil that followed the death of a policeman in rioting after a Serie A match meant the Azzurri last played together in a 3-1 away win over Georgia in November.

In the intervening four months, their coach Roberto Donadoni had been forced to fend off fierce criticism of his team's poor start to qualifying, but they looked razor-sharp when the match kicked off.

Toni was a constantly threatening presence. He wasted a good chance to give the hosts an early lead when he headed an Oddo cross wide from an unmarked position on the edge of the box, but made no mistake when Oddo provided him with another cross to head past visiting keeper Craig Gordon.

Scotland had pulled off a surprise 1-0 win over World Cup runners-up France in October.

The decision by their coach Alex McLeish to field Celtic's Kenny Miller alone up front, however, suggested they had come to Bari's San Nicola stadium with the intention of nicking a point.

Miller was an isolated figure up front while his team mates laboured to find a way past the home side's defence.

A long-range shot by Lee McCulloch, easily parried by keeper Gianluigi Buffon, was the nearest the visitors came to scoring before the break.

Italy began the second half in the same aggressive style as they started the first. Antonio Di Natale almost extended their lead, bursting down the left and firing in a shot that Gordon pushed round his post.

The Udinese striker forced an even better, close-range save from Gordon shortly afterwards when Toni's defence-splitting pass sent him through alone on goal.

Their pressure paid off, however, in the 70th minute, when Camoranesi burst into the area and looped a cross over to the far post for Toni to head past Gordon.

Scotland coach Alex McLeish sent on a second striker, Kris Boyd, to back up Miller, but the move failed to pay off and the Scots' challenge petered out against a wall of blue Italian shirts.

REUTERS PDS BST0431